Grope
by kebzero
Summary: Shounen Ai. Heero begins to grow quite restless when he sees Duo and Wufei interact in ways other than the usual bickering.


  
**Grope**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi   
_Pairings:_ 121, 343, 525-ish (ff.net doesn't allow plus symbols)  
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written as a combined birthday and thank-you-fic for Jana for hosting me at Shinigami & Wing. When Jana was setting up my S&W page, she skimmed the ficlet titles a little too fast, mixed 'Graze' and 'Hope', and for a minute wondered if I had written a ficlet entitled 'Grope'.   
  
...well, now I have. ;-)

* * *

"I swear, he did it!"

Frown. "He did not."

Grin. "Did too!"

Quick glance in 'his' direction. "He wouldn't do that."

Chuckle. "Oh yeah? Why not?"

"He's not like that."

"Says you."

Shake of head. "No, says he. Indirectly. Haven't you seen how he acts around Trowa and Quatre?"

Roll of eyes. "That's because-" Nibble of lip. "Oh, never mind. The fact remains - he did it."

Scowl, grunt. "Fine, you win. Wufei gave you a wink. Happy?"

Duo grinned even wider. "Thrilled." Duo made a quick look towards Wufei's retreating back too. "And he did, you know."

Heero snorted, and shrugged it off. Slowly, he resumed walking towards the safehouse. "Whatever makes you happy. I wouldn't read too much into it, though."

Duo followed. "Oh? Why not?"

With a quick wrinkle of nose, there came a huff of certainty. "Wufei doesn't play for the wrong team."

Just as much a flash-frown. "Hey, no offending the home team!"

Sudden stop, flagged brow. "The _home_ team?"

Duo shrugged and showed off a sheepish grin. "Well, from time to time, at least."

Abrupt reasoning. "So, you're saying that you're-"

Cut-off. "Yeah. Is that a problem?"

Consideration leading to a shrug.

"So... yeah. The whole 'love is love' thing, and all that tripe." Chuckle. "It's fun to jump the fence, you know. No need to worry about which side is greener. Double the pasture, double the fun."

Half a smirk, snort.

Duo's grin turned somewhat lecherous, though unlike most animated individuals in a horny state, there was no drooling nor drooping tongue. Not excessive such, at least. "Definitely wouldn't mind grazing on _him_..."

Heero's face remained stiff, short of the rise and twitch of one eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, Heero. The guy is hot."

Huff in disagreement.

Sigh. "Fine, fine, so you can't appreciate a good-looking guy the way I can..."

No answer.

"You know what?"

Slight scowl, clenched fists. "What?"

"You know what I'd _really_ like to do? Run straight after him, push him up against the wall and kiss him hard."

Grunt.

Grin widening. "And then, I'd tear his clothes off - with my _teeth_, if I had to, and-"

Heero raised both hands in surrender. "Stop right there. I don't want to hear this. No, scratch that - I _really_ don't want to hear this."

Chuckle. "What are you saying, Heero? Not man enough for some guy-on-guy action?" Duo wiggled his brows to run the point home.

Heero looked to the sky as if praying for patience, then took his hands down and balled them up in fists again, and started walking away.

Duo immediately lay in a pursuit. "Oh, come on, man - I was only teasing..."

"I know..." Heero mumbled, and picked up the pace. When Duo matched him, he started running. More specifically, running away.

Duo let him.

For now.

-------

"Hey, Heero!"

Heero took his eyes away from the newspaper to afford Duo a glance. The chipper pilot was still wearing a seriously smudged blue going-on-black overall. Heero knew he'd been over in the barn they currently used as a makeshift hangar, giving Deathscythe a thorough check-up. Yet, given the other's laborious breathing, Heero deduced Duo had to have run back to the safehouse. "Shouldn't you change?"

"What, do I reek already?" Wide grin, quick breaths. "Sorry, ran all the way back - just had to tell, before-" Breath drawn. "Just had to-"

Heero put the paper down. "Is something wrong? Did you spot OZ troops searching through the area? Any suspicious characters? Any-"

Duo waved him off. "Nothing like that. It's Wufei."

Incredibly monotone voice. "Is Wufei injured?"

Negative headshake. "No, it's - he touched me."

Raised brow. "Say again?"

Rolleyes. "Oh, it's not-" Duo sat down on a kitchen stool and took three consecutive deep breaths to calm down. "Look, he just grazed me. There I was, minding my own business, checking one of the lower circuit panels in Deathscythe's right leg, when he passed by and just sorta slipped his hand across my shoulders - so, nothing major, but... he touched me, deliberately."

"Sounds more like a coincidence."

Grin, headshake. "Uh-huh, riiight... He had the entire barn to walk in, yet he chose the path one inch off my back, and pawed at my shoulders to boot."

Grunt. "You make it sound like he's desperate after you."

Snicker. "Maybe he is!" Sigh. "I wish he'd be more open about it, though. It isn't good to repress your feelings like that."

Deadpan. "You certainly aren't."

Pause, consideration, broad smile. "Damn right I'm not! Let it all hang out in the open, I say."

Dirty mind, mild cough. Deadpan fracturing, but keeping together. "Please don't. I don't want to see my breakfast again."

"Wha-" Grin. "Oh... Sheesh, Heero. You've been hanging around me too long, you're starting to pick things up!"

Heero shrugged, and downed what was left of his orange juice.

Duo waited until he was done, and then a few seconds more, before carefully offering his question. "Think I should give it a shot with Wufei?"

Heero momentarily froze and thought it over. "He's not your type."

Smile fading away, brow raised in question. "Oh? And just what _is_ my type, pal? Fair warning; if you say 'cute, dumb blonde girl', I'll punch you."

Smirk. "How about a cute, clever blond boy?"

Pause. "You're thinking of Quatre, aren't you? Sorry, pal, but I don't have a death wish. Trowa would stick me in a lion's cage or have his sister nail me to the target board with daggers before I could ever get _close_ to making a move on Quat."

Nod. "Perhaps - but if Quatre was single...?"

Duo shrugged. "Maybe. I'm sure he'd be fun to be with - but he's more of a 'friend' kinda person to me. I think we'd get on each other's nerves, long-term."

Slight agitation. "And that wouldn't happen with Wufei? You two bicker all the time, and he screams at you a lot, for no good reason at all!"

"So what? So do you, and we're still friends, aren't we?"

Heero opened his mouth as if to answer, but chose instead to close it firmly shut, nearly biting his tongue. He folded the paper away.

Duo lifted the collar of his overalls, took a whiff and made a face. "Whooh - damn, I better go get that shower. Getting all hot in here."

Flagged brow.

With a chuckle, Duo got to his feet. "You know what I mean. See you later, Heero."

And he was gone.

-------

"Hey, Heero - guess what!"

With a sigh, Heero looked up from the intel briefings he was skimming through. "What?" he snapped at the noisy arrival.

"Trowa just got back from recon - the city's clean. The Ozzies moved out this morning. Seems like they're reorganizing to make a thorough sweep of the area north of here. They only have a skeleton crew left to guard the base. No patrols in the city at all."

Heero mellowed somewhat at this. At least Duo hadn't interrupted him with some menial information he didn't want, much less need. "Then the town should remain clean for a while."

Eager nod. "Two weeks, easy. Probably more. We can actually go shopping without looking over our shoulders all the time. Heck, we can probably sneak into some hardware store and restock on tools, too."

"We probably shouldn't. Hardware is easier to track than groceries."

Briefly extended tongue. "Spoilsport."

Half a smirk. "Thanks for letting me know, Duo. I'll inform the scientists - maybe this would be a good time to strike the base, and relocate."

Duo's joyous expression faded somewhat, and he shook his head. "Doubt it. I think they want us to stay hidden for a while longer - they probably have something much bigger lined up for us. And anyway, I have plans, at least for tonight."

Slight disbelief. "You're putting something ahead of _missions_?"

Dim smile. "Hey, even terrorists have the right to a day off every now and again - and it's not like we get a chance like _this_ very often."

Grunt. "Just what-"

The grin was back, full force. "Wufei asked if I wanted to go see a movie."

Heero crumpled the sheet of paper in his hands on pure reflex, but released it as soon as he realized what he was doing, and dropped the wrinkled sheet on the table. "Come again?"

"I said, Wufei and I are going to catch a movie. He asked me out... I think." Shrug. "Well, choose to think, at least."

Scowl. "I don't see why you should accept. Maybe Trowa and Quatre-"

Duo shook his head. "Oh, the lovebirds have their own flight plans. Think Trowa's gonna drag Quat along for a midnight picnic up at that obscure lookout point - you know, that cliffside on the far side of-"

"I know the place. I studied the maps before we relocated here, and-"

Nod. "I know, I know - anyway, they're going there, and I _really_ don't want to be a third wheel. You've seen how mushy those two can get, and-"

"Point taken." Pause. "Still... why-"

Pre-emptive strike. "Why would I want to go out with Wufei, is that it?"

No answer but the frown.

"For starters, he's the stereotype good-looking guy. You know, tall, dark and handsome?" Pause, brief afterthought on height comparisons, grin. "Well, two out of three ain't bad."

Heero hesitated, but finally spat out "One out of three."

"Huh?"

He locked eyes with Duo. "He's not handsome."

For a few precious seconds, Duo gaped like a fish, as if he had a hell of a time selecting an appropriate comeback. "...and just _how_ would you know that, mister oh-so-straight-and-narrow-minded?"

The mere glare turned to an all-out scowl. "In my _opinion_, he's not. I _am_ entitled to one, am I not?"

Duo's initial puzzlement slowly dissolved in chuckles. "Okay..."

Imperceptible to all but his own nerves, Heero nibbled at his lower lip, hesitating. "_You_ are," he finally blurted out.

The small living room felt eerily silent; even the drifting dust seemed loud. It took nearly half a minute before Duo broke the silence with a clever "Huh?"

Heero glared him firmly in the eye; once he'd made up his mind, he wasn't about to quit halfway - at least not until he reached the current goal - which wasn't all that far away. "You're handsome. Wufei isn't." Quick shrug. "In my opinion, at least."

Before Duo could answer, Heero got to his feet and left the room.

Duo didn't pursue.

-------

By nightfall, the safehouse was nearly abandoned. Merely one pilot remained, sitting in solitude in the dimly lit living room, sunbathing in the tranquil glow of his laptop screen. An hour went by; mission reports, largely empty ones. Another hour; quick intel gathering through the wire, which offered little news, if any. A third; setting up strategic plans for a potential attack on the nearby OZ base, should J and the others change their minds. A fourth; making calculations and estimates for ammunition and fuel procurement, as well as tomorrow's shopping list for the grocery store. The fifth, he merely let his fingers hover over the keys, occasionally typing at random, just to keep his fingers occupied. As the sixth hour began, the door slammed.

"Hey, Heero? Heero, where are-" Detection. "Ah, there you are - hey, have you been sitting here all damn _night_?"

Curt nod. Heero reached for the top of the screen and folded it down. While he wasn't ashamed to show the result of his first four hours of work, the random words of the final one hadn't been as random as he could have wished - something he only realized a few minutes before Duo's return.

"That's it, pal - next time, you're coming with us."

Cool glare. "I wouldn't want to be in your way."

Oblivious grin. "Don't worry about that; I don't think 'fei would mind all that much."

"_'fei_?"

Nod.

"You told him that to his face, and still breathe?"

Chuckle. "Yeah - actually, he finds it a bit cute. At least, that's what he told me."

Snort. "Through gritted teeth, no doubt."

Duo punched Heero softly in the shoulder. "Stop that, would ya? Anyway, I'm positive about him now."

Closing brows. "Positive about what?"

"That he likes me, doofus. At the cinema, he put his arm around me."

"What did you say?"

Duo tilted his head. "You know, Heero - I _really_ think we need to have your hearing checked."

Scowl. "My hearing is just _fine_. Tell me what happened, in _specific_.

Duo plopped down in the couch and made himself comfortable. "Okay - we went to see a movie, right? I let him pick, I didn't really care all that much about it, since-"

Mildly bitter voice. "Since you weren't going for the movie."

Wide grin, nod. "Right. Anyway, he picked some action flick, and selected seats along the far right side. That kinda cooled my jets a bit - if he'd gone for some cheesy necking movie instead-"

"Necking movie?"

"You know, romantic sap, extra heavy on the sugar coating, feather light on plot? Mood movies where you bring your date to some remote part of the theater - preferably the row in the back - so you can play tonsil hockey or do some light pawing for an hour or two uninterrupted?"

Still frowning, Heero nodded.

Chuckle. "Well, maybe I should be glad he didn't pick a movie like that - the one we saw, wasn't half bad."

Impatience. "Get on with it."

"Sheesh, take it easy. Well, about halfway through the film, Wufei yawned and stretched his arms up. I thought he was genuinely bored - I mean, compared to our lives, the film might as well have been a documentary - and a really dull one at that. The thing is, when he took his arms down again, he casually put his right one around my shoulders."

Brows colliding.

"Well, that's how I feel about it. To play devil's advocate, he might just have used the back of my chair to support his arm, or something - but I swear he started to embrace me, twice." Big grin. "He didn't touch me, though. I think he's just a bit shy - I mean, if he actually did that, he'd be obvious about it."

Snort. "Wufei doesn't like indirect tactics. If he liked you, he would have come right out and said it."

Duo's happy face gave way to a slightly graver one - though he kept a smile. "Yeah, well... Sometimes... it's really tough to come out and say it, when you like someone. Tougher, if you _love_ someone. That's what I think, anyway - what about you?"

Heero pursed his lips together, refusing to answer. A minute passed by, then two.

Duo slapped his palms to his knees. "Well - sorry to have bothered you, Heero. Had to talk to _someone_ about this, or I think I'd burst - and I'm not sure I want Quatre or Trowa to know about this. Quatre wouldn't be able to keep this kind of secret, and if I tell Trowa anything, Quatre would find out that way. You're good with secrets, though."

Grunt. "Where is Wufei, anyway?"

"Said he'd go check up on the Gundams before coming back." Duo got to his feet, and started walking toward his room. "You know what? I think I'll try something tomorrow, just to find out if he likes me or not."

Covered-up surprise. "You're going to ask him?"

Wide grin. "Where'd the fun be in that? No, I think I'll corner him and give him a big, wet one - no matter how Wufei reacts, it'll be fun to wat-" Pause. "Heero? You okay?"

At 'wet', Heero was already at his feet, at 'Wufei', he bared fangs, just short of snarling, and at 'fun', his hands balled into tight fists. "You're going to _kiss_ him to find out?"

"Sheesh, calm down, would you, pal? Yeah, I was gonna kiss him. What's it to you, anyway? Does it bother you _that_ much that I like boys as much as-"

Quick shake of head. "That's not it! It's - It's-"

Duo folded his arms expectantly. "It's what? Spill, Heero."

Heero clenched his teeth, bit down the answer, and took quick, firm steps out into the kitchen. He'd half-expected Duo would follow - but Duo didn't. A few minutes later, Heero had managed to cool down - but when he returned to the living room, it was empty. He sighed to himself, shook his head again, shut down the laptop, put it under his arm and went to his own room.

Sleep came home late that evening; much later than even Trowa and Quatre.

-------

Despite little shut-eye, Heero got up nearly at first light, and went over to the barn. Wing was in need of a quick maintenance check, and he was in need of some fresh air, and space and time to think. This seemed the best plan of action, for now.

Before he left, he'd barely taken the time to eat a small sandwich and empty a glass of orange juice. Around lunch, his stomach started its vocal protest against this dietary choice. He ignored it.

However, there was soon another voice that was much harder to ignore resonating through the barn.

"Heero? You in here?"

Standing at one of Wing's shoulders, Heero immediately plotted out potential escape routes - preferably ones that wouldn't kill him. He also contemplated his odds of hiding where he was, and avoid Duo that way - but in either case, the numbers were ridiculously in his disfavor. Instead, he decided to face his hunter. He put down the wrench he'd been using, and sounded off a clear "Up here."

Duo immediately homed in on the source of sound. "Oh - Hi, Heero - would you mind coming down for a while? We need to talk."

Grunt, glance at toolbox. "Then talk."

Rolleyes. "Sheesh... Fine. Look, I wanted to apologize if I made you uncomfortable yesterday. I really didn't mean to spook you like that. I'm sorry you can't take it, but-"

He picked up a screwdriver. "If you're going to suggest I'm homophobic again, don't. I'm not."

Nod. "Just Wufei-phobic, is that it? Or at least, you don't like the idea of him and me being together?"

Heero clenched his teeth and stared holes in Wing's head. "I do not have a problem with that."

"Liar."

No answer.

"Heero, I think it's fair to call you my best friend - which doesn't really say a lot, I suppose, but-" Duo bit his lower lip, hesitant. "Well, you've been a pretty good friend, despite everything, and I'd really hate to lose you. So, if it bothers you all that much, then-"

"I told you, it doesn't bother me," Heero spat out.

Duo was about to tell him that the way he was bending the screwdriver way out of shape with merely the pressure of his thumb suggested otherwise, but never got around to it; they were interrupted by the creaking of the barn door.

Wufei walked in, and immediately closed the door behind him. "Maxwell. Yuy." Both greetings were delivered with directed nods.

"Hey, 'fei. Whatchya here for?"

Heero squinted to see if the other reacted disfavorably to the nickname. At this distance, he couldn't be sure - but he thought he saw _something_; a slight twitch of brow, perhaps.

Then again, he badly _wanted_ to see something. He became aware of the now L-shaped screwdriver, tossed it back in the toolbox, picked up the wrench again and went back to work while doing some casual eavesdropping.

"I was going to pick up something I left with Nataku. It will only be a moment."

Grin. "Okay."

Wufei walked past. "Oh, and Quatre asked me to let you two know he's going to make lunch for all of us today. He wanted to practice his cooking."

Duo's grin wavered. "Oh... damn. Do we _have_ to eat it?"

Chuckle. "Don't worry, Trowa said he'd help out."

"Doesn't matter," Duo almost shouted after Wufei. "Trowa ain't that much better at it, except with omelets. He's pretty good with those."

Wufei nodded, used the lift cable and went inside Shenlong's cockpit.

Heero glared in that direction for a while, then afforded Duo some attention. "You shouldn't be ungrateful. Quatre is just trying to be nice."

Sigh. "I know, I know... He means well, but... He can't cook. None of us can, for that matter - not any _good_, at least."

Snort. "Didn't you just say-"

"Yeah, I know - Trowa makes a mean omelet, but don't ever ask him to make a casserole." Duo clutched his stomach. "I think I'm _still_ suffering the side-effects of that 'wilderness survival' stew he cooked up during our last mission together. I mean, even those ration packs you're so fond of taste better."

Grunt.

"You're right, though. Shouldn't be ungrateful. If we're lucky, he'll just set the table." Grin, afterthought. "And maybe let Trowa handle the eggs."

The lift cable of Shenlong sounded off again; Wufei descending. "Trowa knows his strengths and weaknesses. He'll oblige you." Smirk. "I doubt he's forgotten that little speech of yours after that mission." Ground level, quick steps towards the barn door.

Duo frowned. "Hey, he set himself up, trying to feed me that crap. It's not like I haven't eaten some pretty nasty stuff in the past - I just thought I was _past_ the 'scavenge to survive' stage by now."

"We live any way we can," the voice from above answered. "Sometimes, the mission requires some self-sacrifice - in this case, you could have skipped a meal."

Duo scowled up at Heero. "Easy for you to say, _you_ weren't hungry and short of options..."

Another grunt. Heero tightened a bolt.

Other than a slight smirk, Wufei gave no sign he was still following the argument. He walked past Duo - or rather, behind him, and was out the door soon after, closing it without looking back.

From the corner of his eye, Heero had noticed Duo jolt a little just as Wufei went by, but thought nothing of it - until he realized Duo was staring at the closed barn door.

"Damn..."

Heero felt concern. "Is something wrong?"

Duo grinned sheepishly, cautiously rubbed his butt. "Well, that depends on perspective, I suppose..."

Frown. "What do you mean?"

"I swear - Wufei just groped me!"

The wrench became decidedly uncomfortable, trapped in Heero's steel grip as it was. "He _what_?!"

Chuckle. "Again with the damn hearing, pal! You heard me!"

Heero extended some mercy to the wrench by tossing it into the toolbox, before grabbing the lift cable and lowering himself to the ground at the fastest possible speed short of free-fall. "Tell me again."

"Uh-" Duo scratched the back of his neck, stared into the dirt floor. "Well... Like I said, he groped me. He walked past me, and-"

"He felt you up?"

Nod. "Well, not exactly, but-"

Heero's tight fists relaxed a little. "He didn't, then."

"Hey, what did I just tell you?"

After threatening the barn doors with a mere scowl, Heero looked Duo's way again, if only from the corner of his eye. "Wufei wouldn't do that... if he knows what's good for him."

Duo grew agitated. "Are you calling me liar, or something? Then tell me, what other hot Asian guy just pinched my ass, huh?"

Decidedly uncomfortable at that phrasing, Heero attempted to stare the doors open. He did not succeed.

"Look, pal - just let me deal with 'fei, okay? You go find yourself some good-looking Japanese chick, and-"

Twist, powerful glare of blues. "I don't _want_ a Japanese girlfriend."

Shrug. "Oh, _so-rry_ - you want the honey-blonde princess, right?"

Snort. "And certainly _not_ Relena - she makes a good friend; that's enough."

"Then what kinda girl _do_ you want, jackass? Why do you have to pester my little hope of happiness, if-"

"I don't _want_ any girl!" Heero bit his lip, but frustration won over hesitation. "I want _you_, damn it!"

The barn fell disturbingly quiet. The two merely stood there, glaring at each other, fired up by a little argument - and a whole lot of emotional turmoil. A few simple words can trigger so much; but they can also cause everything to stop.

"I... want _you_..." Heero finally dared repeat, as they both mellowed down a little.

"Heero - are you serious? You're not just yanking my chain because you know I have a thing fo-" He would have continued questioning Heero, had the other not chosen that moment to put a hand at his neck, pull him close and kiss him. It was sloppy, much too rough, hardly what could be considered a good kiss - but the deed didn't matter. The doer did. Duo closed his eyes and let himself drift for a while.

It didn't last long. Heero let go, barely dared look him in the eye, and turned away to stare at the dirt floor. "I - I'm sorry. I don't know what-"

Cautious voice interrupting. "I do."

Glance over shoulder.

"I know, Heero. I've known for some time, come to think about it. I _really_ knew after I checked your laptop, and-"

"You used my laptop?!"

Duo took a step back, waved his hands dismissively. "Hey, easy, pal, I'm the one you just kiss-confessed, remember? And I only saw the text that was in the window - you didn't shut down the computer, and I was curious, so I-"

The color gradually drained from Heero's face, only to come back again, slightly tinted of pink. "Then... then you saw..."

Duo placed his hand to Heero's shoulder, coaxed him around, touched his chin to raise it a little, and grinned. "Yeah... Somewhere between the mini-essays of 'a thousand ways to kill Wufei' and 'how to hide a body', I read some pretty touching things." Chuckle. "Didn't know you were such a sappy guy."

Heero frowned at him.

Duo mellowed a little. "I appreciated it, though. Just wish you'd tell those things to _me_, and not your laptop..."

"...I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

Their heads a little closer. "I suppose you are... At least you've gotten off to a good start."

A slight smirk crept onto Heero's face. Their noses nearly bumped. "Then maybe I should tell you again...?"

Duo nodded, tilted his head, closed the final distance between them and gave Heero a quick lesson in kissing.

By the time they returned for lunch, Heero had gotten the hang of it.

-------

"Hey, wait up, will ya?"

Wufei stopped to glance over his shoulder. Visual confirmation was not needed; he knew that voice all too well. He smiled, offered a curt nod. "Maxwell."

"Thanks for helping out, pal. Really appreciate it."

Bow of neck. "My pleasure." Wufei smirked. "So, judging from sights and sounds since lunch yesterday, I take it the plan worked?"

Grin, eager nod. "Definitely. There's still a few tricks about kissing and fondling he needs to grasp, but he's a quick learner."

"That he is - though perhaps not as perceptive as he prides himself to be?"

Duo laughed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right - but it doesn't matter. All things that ends well, right?"

After some pause, a nod in agreement. "You know... Duo, if you two don't work out..."

Duo noticed the slight shine to Wufei's eyes, and wondered if he misinterpreted it. Even so, he sighed, and made his voice soft. "Sorry, 'fei. Now that he's given me the pinkie, I'm plan to steal his hand, and then all the rest of him."

Wufei chuckled. "Yeah, I figured that..." He reached out to brush his thumb across Duo's chin. "When you're not an annoying brat, you're okay, Maxwell. More than okay."

Duo grinned, slapped Wufei's hand away. "Quit messing with me, pal. You're growing mushy."

Smile. "Sorry."

Duo nodded, and gave Wufei a tight hug. "thanks for the help, Wufei. I'm sorry if you feel I exploited you - I suspected you had feelings for me, but-"

Wufei pulled out of the hug, put his hands on Duo's shoulders. "I know, but I also knew about Yuy." Smile to smirk. "At least I got to pinch your butt once."

Laughter. "I'd give you a kiss or something, but I think Heero would kill you afterwards - you should have seen his face when I told-"

"I can imagine - that's enough. It's a good sign, Duo - his jealousy and possessiveness, that is. At least he's serious about how he feels about you. I just hope he's not _too_ serious, if you catch my drift." Smile to sincerity. "He'd better be good to you, Duo."

Shrug smile. "Don't worry, he will be. Besides, it's not like I can't take care of myself, you know." He paused, acknowledged Wufei's nod at his words. When Wufei took a step back and prepared to walk away, Duo finally made the cautious inquiry foremost on his mind. "How about you?"

"Hm?"

"Will _you_ be okay?"

Snort, shrug. "I don't break down like some sappy woman just because someone I fancy turn me down, Duo. I'll live..." Smirk. "And find someone much better."

Duo grinned, punched Wufei in the shoulder. "Bastard..." Pause. "When you find a target, let me know. I'll help."

Concern came to Wufei's face. "What about Heero? Are you sure he'd approve of-"

"Well, maybe I could make him help, too. I think I could talk him into it."

Raised brow, smirk. "A fake threesome?"

Snort. "I didn't mean _that_ kind of help, doofus."

Chuckle. "I know."

Duo opened his mouth to continue, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Heero approaching, and promptly shut up. Some things it were better if his new boyfriend didn't find out - at least not yet.

Heero was suspicious at the little gathering, however. Only indecisiveness and time constraints pre-empted an all-out interrogation. Instead, he went for the direct approach. "What are you two chatting about?"

Duo shrugged, still grinning. "Nothing..."

Heero smiled at that, gave a grunt in reply and extended his elbow to Duo. "Ready to go? Dinner reservations at eight, remember?"

Quick punch to elbow. Heero's perplexed expression craved an explanation. "Don't get me wrong, Heero, I appreciate the gesture - but I'm not a girl you're taking to the prom, or anything like that. Got that?"

Somewhat sheepish grin. "Sorry..."

Mischievous grin. "And for the record, I intend to fight you for the pants in this relationship."

Smirk, grunt. "Your loss."

Chuckle. "Oh, we'll see... Could you just give me your hand instead...?"

Heero immediately offered the requested hand, and no sooner was it within reach did Duo grab it, step up to Heero's side and pocket Heero's palm down the back pocket of his jeans.

Before Heero could react more than keep his fingers absolutely frozen out of fear of doing anything wrong, Duo put his own paw down Heero's back pocket, and squeezed Heero's buttocks a little. "Better."

Heero remained stunned, at least until Duo landed a quick peck on his cheek. Then, he dared smile, and after getting another soft pinch to his rear, rewarded Duo in the same manner. Heero nodded down the path, Duo consented, and they started walking away.

Wufei smiled as he watched them leave, and when they were beyond reasonable hearing range, he muttered to himself, "Yeah... _they_ will be alright..." He sighed, shook his head and wiped away some slight excess moisture threatening to spill from his eye. He snorted, still smiling. "Damn..."

He turned to head back to the safehouse, but a few minutes down the path, he met Quatre and Trowa; the taller balancing-act embracing the blond around the shoulders, Quatre with an arm around Trowa's waist. Quatre was beaming, as he was most of the time, particularly with Trowa nearby. Yet, it didn't really annoy Wufei anymore. He had seen Quatre angry only a handful of times, but in return, those times were enough to convince him the friendly smile and cautious nature was preferable to the raging fury the blond could produce if provoked sufficiently. As they say, it's always the quiet ones.

Wufei didn't want to think what that suggested about the rest of their little group.

"Hi, Wufei - where are you going?"

"I was heading back home. I have the strangest craving to watch TV and have some ice cream..."

Quirky brow. "Ice cream?" Quatre shook his head. "Never mind. And forget that, Wufei - you're coming with us. Trowa and I are going to the cinema, and afterwards-"

Wufei interrupted; this he didn't need. "Thank you, but I don't want to intrude on a smooch session on the back row, Winner."

Quatre chuckled good-naturedly, and landed a soft punch to Wufei's shoulder. "It's not like that, Wufei. The movie we're going to watch, is a new disaster film."

Flagged brow. "Disaster film?"

"Yeah," Trowa cut in. "Apparently, some screenwriter thought the whole 'drop a colony onto Earth' thing would be good plot for a movie. That's what we're going to watch. Why don't you come with us, Wufei? It has to be better than staying at home all night."

"I don't know..."

"Oh, come on," Quatre pleaded. "We were going to grab a burger or something afterwards. You can handle our company that long, can't you? I promise, we won't get mushy on you." He made a quick warning glance up to Trowa, almost as if he suspected the other would object.

Trowa was about to, but closed his mouth at Quatre's stern look, and nodded in agreement.

After some consideration, Wufei nodded, and muttered "Yeah... perhaps it _is_ a good day for disasters..."

Quatre wrapped his free arm around Wufei's waist, ignoring how the other shirked back at first. Wufei didn't fight it beyond those first seconds of hesitation. "Perhaps, Wufei... but until the day is over, anything can happen."

Wufei didn't object.

-end-


End file.
